“It’s a simple exercise that draws out your energy to be shaped and weaved into a useable form. You need to envision the thing that you are trying to create or do and you can effect the change.”

River, the black otter sat, hands clasped. Her muted brown and green robes betrayed not a speck of dirt and she had command in her eyes. Over her robe, a simple brown cloak draped her and Freya felt her power as if it was trying to buffet Freya away. At least when the otter extended herself, she felt it.

The two sat on a hill overlooking the Uki estate, just out of view of the house, but they could still see the scouts working with chickens by the pens.

She had brought a chicken of her own, on Spring’s request so that Freya could try out some of the applications of her power.

“It’s called bond weaving, and not every druid has the ability,” River said, “The lowest rank, they can form a temporary bond like you’ve been doing. It allows you to speak with anything that could speak.”

“And by that, you mean anything that is possibly sentient?” Freya said.

“There are limitations on how big beasts can be, at least the ones that can become sentient,” River said, “But I do have a shortlist of them somewhere. At least the ones I’ve tried.”

Freya smiled.

“What is the next rank able to do?” Freya asked.

River smiled, petting the chicken.

“There.. Ahh, this is where the fun comes in. That is what I wanted to see if you could do,” River said.

River opened her paws to show a particular route that she was extending her magic. Lines crisscrossed her hands and she extended them to the chicken.

“Keep your eyes open, Freya, and watch as I…”

The lines extended and stuck to the chicken. The chicken ever so slightly turned to face River.

“Bond with this chicken, temporarily.”

Freya gasped as River curtseyed to the chicken and the chicken bowed back.

“You’re controlling its movements?” Freya said.

River shocked her head.

“I can’t control its movements, I can compel it to do certain things, but it’s more of an ask. And as I give it the bond, so it draws some of my magic from me, so when you are using a temporary bond-which only lasts for a month-you need to stay fed.”

River pulled at her whiskers a bit, smoothing them down with both hands.

“And the third rank is a permanent bond then?” Freya said, still intently looking at the bond even as it faded from her view.

“You’re correct, and the problem there is that it takes a lot of energy all at once to grant the boon, so you’ll be laid up for a few days if you do it,” River said, “When I bonded my rangers, I planned to be in bed for three days.”

“Because it was so intense?”

“Because there were three of them,” River said, “But you’ll learn.”

River patted the chicken and this time the chicken ran about, strutting like a guard.

“You think that I’ll be able to do a second rank bond weaving then?” Freya said.

She bowed her head in thanks.

“Do I think it? I think that we’ve got willing subjects right there,” she said, eyeing the scouts. One of them was having a heck of a time trying to argue with a chicken who wasn’t having it. Probably Freya the chicken, but it was impossible to tell from this distance.

“You mean for me to bond the scouts?” Freya said, her voice incredulous.

“No. I mean for you to bond scout to chicken. The temporary bond only lasts for thirty days or so and it’s something that they will probably need if war is happening,” River sighed.

“I know how to bond a beast to myself, but how can I bond two others?” Freya said.

Putting her paws on her hips, Freya pictured the bond as River had made it. It looked like a strong cord, tying the two together. She could picture it as she burned her red mist.

“Form a bond, tie it off and then press it into another,” River said.

“What?”

“What.”

“I understand those are words, Druid River but… a weave isn’t a line of thread, and even if so,” Freya said, watching as River began to burn red mist faster.

In one fast motion, she pulled the bond out. The bond lit up Freya’s eyes as it grew bright.

“It’s a bit easier if you tie it off before you put it into someone,” River said.

Molding her end—Freya refused to call that movement tying—River held up one side of the bond. Then she whistled to the scouts, and one came running.

A fox Freya has seen once or twice stood at attention. He stopped, gasping, and Freya realized that he’d sprinted the whole way.

A lady could get used to foxes moving with purpose.

"Private Monroe at your service, Druid."

"Private Monroe, this beast," River said, gesturing to the chicken, “is your family for the next month. Make sure that she is fed well."

River plunged the bond directly into his chest as he gasped.